Dawn of a New Day
by chocolatepenguin97
Summary: While traveling in Unova, Ash starts to miss a certain someone...until he gets a little surprise...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everybody! I'm back and I randomly had an idea for another Pearlshipping story! I'm not exactly sure how long this is going to be, but I hope you guys like it! Here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own Pokemon.**

0-0

_In Unova…_

"I cannot believe your stomach is growling _already_," Iris groaned, gesturing to Ash's rumbling belly. She shook her head. "How did your other friends deal with the noise?"

"Actually, May was even _worse_ than I am! And Brock was probably just used to it after traveling through every region with me," Ash replied.

"I guess we can stop to eat lunch," Cilan told them.

"Okay. No need to worry about the fruit! I'll handle it," Iris said.

Ash suddenly stopped. "Wait, what?"

"I said I would handle the fruit," Iris repeated.

"No. Before that."

"I said no need to worry about the fruit," Iris sighed exasperatedly. "Why?"

"Nothing," Ash muttered, looking deep in thought. "It just…reminded me of something."

"What? Fruit?" Iris asked, shooting Ash a "you're-crazy" glare. She was just about to say more when Cilan put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. His 'connoisseur senses' were telling him that what Ash was thinking about was actually important.

"He will tell us whenever he's ready," Cilan whispered.

Iris rolled her eyes. "Fine. I guess I'll go get the fruit."

0-0

_In Hoenn…_

'_Deep breaths, deep breaths. You'll do fine,'_ a coordinator told herself. She was sitting in the waiting room, her eyes glued to the screen overhead. A green-haired coordinator that she had met and traveled with was battling another coordinator dressed like a Cacturne. She could see that her green-haired friend was gritting his teeth as his Roserade took a hard hit.

"He's having a pretty rough time out there," the coordinator's other traveling companion said, leaning on the doorframe. His green scarf hung crooked on his neck as he stared at her with his bright orange eyes. "I really hope he wins."

"He'll be fine. He promised me that it'd be me and him in the finale," the coordinator replied, a grin on her face.

As time slowly ticked away, the coordinator and her trainer friend watched as their green-haired companion won his semi-final-round battle. Someone called her name and told her it was time to take the stage.

"Wish me luck," she murmured to her friend.

"No need to worry," he teased, messing with her hair. She didn't freak out about it anymore; she had matured since her early days as a coordinator.

She gave him a fleeting hug as she walked down the hallway to meet her friend on the contest battle stage. Still, she missed something about the old days…the high fives…and a certain friend of hers…

0-0

_In Unova…_

"Finally! We're in Castelia City!" Iris squealed, staring up at the skyscrapers.

"I can't wait to battle Burgh!" Ash agreed, mirroring Iris's excited tone.

"Wait, you guys," Cilan said. "There's a huge crowd at that giant television screen over there. Let's go see what's going on."

Iris and Ash nodded and followed Cilan to the crowd. Ash glanced at the screen then began to search for the gym. Suddenly, his head flicked back to face the screen, causing Pikachu to nearly fall off his head. Two familiar people were having a contest battle on the screen.

"Wow! It's the Hoenn Grand Festival! There's hardly ever a showing of contests in Unova. No wonder there's such a big crowd!" Iris said.

"Roserade, use Petal Dance!" the green-haired coordinator ordered.

"_Pikachu!"_ Pikachu squeaked, staring at the screen.

"It's Drew," Ash muttered, acknowledging May's number one rival.

Ash nearly fell over when the camera panned to Drew's opponent.

"Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!" she commanded. The Aura Sphere collided with Roserade's Petal Dance, creating a gorgeous display of fireworks and hitting Drew's Roserade so hard that it fainted.

"That was amazing!" Iris and Cilan gasped in unison as the crowd _'ooohed' _and _'aaahed.'_

"_Dawn,"_ Ash whispered. "She won the Hoenn Grand Festival."

Ash watched as Mr. Contesta presented her with the Ribbon Cup. Her Pokemon surrounded her: Piplup, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Buneary, Togekiss, and a now-evolved Quilava.

"Thank you so much!" Dawn said, waving to the crowd. She turned to Mr. Contesta. "Can I bring my friends up here with me?"

Mr. Contesta looked a little surprised, but nodded. "Of course."

Drew and Barry, one of Ash's previous rivals, ran onto the stage, both praising Dawn. She hugged both of them and told Drew that he did a great job.

Ash sighed, wondering if Dawn had won the Sinnoh Grand Festival, would she have done the same for him and Brock?

"Hey, Iris, Cilan. We should head to the Pokemon Center now," Ash said.

"But-" Iris started. She then glanced at his face. "Yeah. Sure, Ash."

She exchanged looks with Cilan as Ash started towards the Pokemon Center without so much as a glance backwards.

0-0

_In Hoenn…_

"What are you going to do with the prize vacation?" Mr. Contesta asked her.

"Well, first Drew and I have to watch Barry compete in the Hoenn league, but afterwards, I'm going to visit the Unova region!" Dawn answered.

'_And maybe, just maybe…I'll be able to see Ash again,' _Dawn thought.

She raised the hard-earned Ribbon Cup over head one more time as she planned out exactly what she was going to say when she met him.

0-0

**So, that's the first chapter! I hope you liked it! Yes, it will be Pearshipping, don't worry. I feel kinda bad for Ash though…and I was feeling a tad underdescriptive. Well, see you next time! And PLEASE don't forget to review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So here's Chapter 2! Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon still isn't mine…*sighs***

**0-0**

_In Unova…_

"Ash Ketchum, someone wants to speak with you on the PC," Nurse Joy said, returning Ash's Pokeballs.

"Now, who would want to talk to _you?_" Iris asked, looking at Ash questioningly.

"It's probably my mom," Ash answered, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Cool! I want to meet your mom!" Iris exclaimed, dragging Ash and Cilan to the PC.

However, when the trio got to the PC, it wasn't Delia Ketchum on the screen. It was…

"Hey! You just won the Hoenn Grand Festival!" Iris gasped at the same time Ash said, "Dawn!"

"Hi Ash! It's great seeing you again!" Dawn greeted. She was absolutely glowing with happiness, as Ash could see, and was beaming. It was obvious that she had just gotten off the contest stage because she was still wearing her Grand Festival attire, which was different from her Sinnoh dress.

"You too, Dawn," Ash said as Pikachu excitedly said hello to Piplup, who was perched on Dawn's head.

Iris did a double-take. "Wait a second! You _know_ her?"

"Yeah, he helped me a lot on my journey. Ash is one of the reasons I'm such a great coordinator. He's one of my best friends!" Dawn replied, a gleam of amusement in her sapphire-blue eyes.

"You didn't tell me you knew the winner of the Hoenn Grand Festival!" Iris said angrily.

"Actually, Iris, he did. When we got to the Pokemon Center, he told us that he had just traveled with her in Sinnoh," Cilan contradicted, clearing his throat.

"Whatever!" Iris sighed. "It's not important right now."

Cilan rolled his eyes at Iris's naiveté. He turned back to Dawn's face on the PC. "By the way, my name is Cilan, and this is-"

Iris interrupted him. "I'm Iris!"

Dawn laughed. "Wow, Ash, they act like we used to! And, in case you haven't guessed, my name is Dawn."

"So, why did you wanna talk?" Ash asked, finally speaking after Iris and Cilan's little rant.

"I can't just call my best friend who I haven't seen in forever because I won the Hoenn Grand Festival?" Dawn asked, putting a hurt expression on her face.

"No! I didn't mean it like…I just wanted to…I mean-" Ash quickly stuttered, turning bright red.

"I know! I was just kidding," Dawn laughed, the puppy-dog look disappearing from her face.

Ash blushed before saying, "I saw you beat Drew. It kinda reminded me how much I missed traveling with you and Brock as soon as I saw your face."

"Aww!" Iris chimed. She then glared at him. "Wait, what's wrong with me and Cilan?"

"Nothing! I just meant-"

"It's obvious you still aren't that great with your word choice," Dawn giggled. Her face lit up again. "Well, you won't need to miss me for long! I won a prize vacation for the Grand Festival and I decided to use it for Unova! I'm coming in a few days to see you. Drew and I just have to watch Barry compete in the Hoenn League."

Ash grinned widely. "That's great! I can't wait for you to visit!"

"I can't wait either!" Dawn agreed.

A voice could faintly be heard in the background. Dawn turned around to look at whoever was talking. She nodded to the person and said, "Yeah, just tell Barry that I'm almost done talking to Ash."

She turned back to the screen.

"Who was that?" Ash asked.

"No need to worry! It was just Drew. I gotta go. Barry is complaining about how slow I'm being again. Bye Iris, bye Cilan! I'll see you in a few days, Ash. I can't wait!"

The screen turned black as Dawn shut off the PC.

"So, _that's_ why you did a total double-take when I said 'No need to worry.' That's _Dawn's_ catchphrase, isn't it?" Iris giggled, an understanding look in her eyes.

Ash scratched his head. "Uh, yeah."

"I think you _like_ her," Iris said before skipping to her room in the Pokemon Center.

"What?" Ash asked, looking at Cilan confusedly.

"The evidence _is_ there, but Iris is being too rash. We have to see how you and Dawn interact face to face," Cilan reasoned. He looked at Ash almost appraisingly.

"Hold on a second! I don't like Dawn-not like that! Cilan!" Ash started, but Cilan followed Iris's lead and headed off to the Pokemon Center room they would be occupying.

"I _don't _like her like that," Ash said to Pikachu.

"_Chu,_" Pikachu said incredulously, as if he didn't fully believe Ash either.

Ash looked at his reflection in the black PC screen. "I _don't_ think of her like that."

However, in the back of his mind, a voice simply _had_ to ask, "Or do I?"

0-0

_In Hoenn…_

Dawn had just turned off the PC when Barry rushed inside.

"You were talking to _Ash_? Why didn't you tell me? Oh, Dawn, I'm so gonna fine you!" Barry exclaimed characteristically.

"Well, you just missed him," Drew said. He turned to Dawn. "You should get changed now. We're going to a restaurant to celebrate your big win."

Dawn smiled. "Sure. Thanks guys."

Once Dawn had changed, they headed to an expensive restaurant. When they were seated, Dawn glared at Drew with her very best evil eye.

"What? Don't you like the place?" Drew asked.

"Oh, I love it," Dawn stated.

"Then why are you glaring at me?"

"Because now I'm _underdressed!_ I want to make a nice impression!"

Drew and Barry rolled their eyes at her typical Dawn-ness.

"I can't wait for the Hoenn League!" Barry said as the waiter set his steak down in front of him.

"You'll do great, Barry," Dawn agreed.

"And then we can all visit Ash in Unova!" Barry continued.

"Wait, what?" Dawn asked, nearly choking on her water.

"We're going with you to Unova, right?" Drew said, as if it was a statement instead of a question.

"I kind of thought it would just be me. I mean, the prize vacation only applied to one person, right?" Dawn was gripping Piplup tightly in the way she always did when she was nervous. She had no idea why this was making her nervous, but it was.

"Yeah, but I called my parents in LaRousse Town and they said they could pay for Barry and me to come with you to the Unova region. They think I should go somewhere that exposes me to more than just contests, as well as allowing me to travel all around the world," Drew told her. "Oh, and something about you being a good influence on me," he added as more of an afterthought.

"I can go do the Unova League too!" Barry said. "Ash could be my rival again!"

Dawn put a halfway artificial smile on her face. "That's awesome!"

Dawn was definitely excited about Barry and Drew coming with her to Unova, but a part of her had wanted to spend some more time with Ash _without_ them.

'_Don't get me wrong, I love traveling with Drew and Barry, but I haven't seen Ash in forever. And I miss Ash's…attitude. Sometimes it gets tiring with Barry's impatience and Drew's total egoism. Besides, Piplup, and definitely Buneary, wants to see Pikachu again. But I guess that's not happening. Well, Ash and I wouldn't have been alone anyway. He's traveling with Cilan and that Iris girl,' _Dawn thought to herself.

"Are you okay Dawn?" Barry asked, shooting her a concerned glance.

"You seem…out of it," Drew added.

A real smile spread on Dawn's face. "I'm fine. No need to worry. It'll be fun."

0-0

_Five days later, in Unova…_

"There's the plane from Hoenn!" Iris exclaimed, pointing to a seaplane that was just reaching the dock. "I can't wait to meet Dawn!"

"Calm down, Iris, people are starting to stare," Cilan cautioned.

Iris shrugged. "Then let them stare."

Ash shook his head at Iris and Cilan. Dawn was right. Those two did act like he and Dawn did back in Sinnoh, except Cilan acted like Dawn and Iris acted like Ash.

"_Pika!" _Pikachu squeaked once he saw Dawn's familiar blue hair in the crowd that was getting off the seaplane.

Dawn was dressed differently than before. Her blue hair was put up in a ponytail that was exactly the same style as when they had been swimming in the water before they met that talking Shaymin and Giratina. She was wearing a denim skirt with purple hearts on the bottom corner as well a purple tank top with a blue striped camisole under it. Instead of a scarf around her neck, she had a scarf-like belt looped around her skirt. She wasn't wearing her hat anymore, and her boots were white instead of pink.

Dawn seemed to be scanning the crowd on the dock for them. When she finally saw them, her face lit up and she started waving spiritedly.

"Ash! Hey, Ash!" Dawn called.

Pikachu grew impatient and jumped off of Ash's shoulder to greet Dawn and Piplup.

"She's just as pretty in person!" Iris said.

"Pikachu is obviously glad to see her," Cilan noted.

Once Dawn reached the trio with Piplup and Pikachu in her arms, Ash grinned and said one word:

"Dawn."

0-0

**That was Chapter 2! Dawn's finally in Unova! Yay! :) So, did you like it? Please, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is Chapter 3 of **_**Dawn of a New Day**_**! Sorry for the long update. Now here's what happens once Dawn is in Unova with Ash! I don't know, but they seem out of character…oh, well. Here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't and probably never will, own Pokemon**

**0-0**

"Wow! Dawn, it's nice meeting you in person!" Iris gushed.

Dawn didn't seem to be listening to Iris. She was scanning the crowd, seemingly looking for someone else.

"Who are you looking for?" Ash asked.

Dawn didn't even need to answer because two familiar faces separated from the crowd and headed over to their group. Once she caught sight of them, she began waving and calling out their names. A confused look crossed Cilan and Iris's faces. Ash looked simply irritated for a reason unbeknownst to even him.

"Hi Barry," Ash greeted, as the hyper blonde ran over to them.

"Hey Ash! Wanna battle?" Barry promptly asked.

"Uh, not right now. We'll definitely battle later, though," Ash promised, a determined and amused gleam in his eyes.

Ash nodded in acknowledgement of the other guest. "Drew."

Dawn beamed and gestured towards Barry and Drew. "Yeah, I've been traveling through Hoenn with Drew and Barry. Oh, guys, you remember Ash, and these are his friends Cilan and Iris."

Cilan shook both of their hands. "Nice to meet you."

"Hi guys!" Iris said perkily. "Welcome to the Unova region!"

"Uh, Dawn, I kinda thought you were coming alone," Ash told her.

"Truthfully, I did too!" Dawn replied, sounding almost apologetic. "But it turns out Drew's parents were willing to pay for him and Barry."

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" Cilan said.

"Of course!" Iris agreed. "Come on, everyone! Ash is going to battle Burgh today!"

"A gym battle?" Barry asked excitedly.

"Oh, Barry, I forgot to ask. How was the Hoenn league?" Ash asked him.

"I got fourth. But that just means I have to get even tougher!" Barry said, clenching his fists with a gleam of steely determination in his eyes.

"It's awesome seeing how pumped up you still are!" Ash told him.

"Well, where's the gym?" Barry asked excitedly. "Come on, let's go!"

Ash led their group to the Castelia Gym, Dawn and Drew rolling their eyes at a nearly _bouncing_ Barry. Iris and Cilan glanced at each other.

"Do you think this is _normal _for him?" Iris whispered to Cilan, pointing at Barry.

"I guess so. Ash is acting like it's not even happening and Dawn and Drew are rolling their eyes as if they expect it of him," Cilan muttered back. "Just ignore it."

Once they reached the gym, they collided with a tall, skinny guy wearing an almost _eyesore _outfit of grass green and salmon pink. He had on a pink scarf and a belt with a little butterfly on it. He had symmetrically styled brown hair that looked like he had curled it.

"Excuse us, ma'am," Barry said impatiently.

"Uh, Barry, that's-" Cilan started, but the guy they had collided with interrupted, looking insulted.

"I am _not_ female, if that's what you're implying!" the guy said indignantly.

Barry's eyes widened in shock. "Really? Sorry, you looked like a girl to me."

Dawn, Drew, Ash, and Cilan smacked their foreheads. Iris looked like she was trying hard not to laugh. Pikachu and Piplup didn't even try to contain their Pokemon-giggles.

"So, who are you?" Barry asked.

The guy straightened up to his full height. "I am Burgh, the gym leader of Castelia City."

"Wow, really?" Ash looked excited. "I'm Ash Ketchum and I want to challenge you to a battle!"

Burgh stroked his chin thoughtfully while looking at Ash. "I like your attitude, kid. Really confident, straightforward. Sure, I'll battle you."

Burgh led the group to the battle area. He gestured towards the bleachers. "The rest of you can take a seat."

"Wait! I'm not ready!" Dawn gasped. She hopped out of the seat she was sitting in and ran down the hall with Piplup.

"It's not like _she's_ the one battling," Drew said questioningly, peering down the hall in the direction Dawn went.

Dawn finally reappeared in a very familiar bright pink cheerleading uniform. Her hair was done the way it used to be and she had Piplup and Buneary in similar outfits.

"Jeez, Dawn. I didn't think you still used that outfit," Ash said with a satisfied grin on his face.

"I don't," Dawn replied, shaking the pom-poms together. "I brought it specifically for any of your gym battles that I might end up watching."

"You actually dress up like a cheerleader to watch his battles?" Iris asked Dawn incredulously.

"Yeah," Dawn beamed. "I have since we traveled together in Sinnoh."

"Very _interesting_," Cilan mused.

"Ssssh! The battle's starting!" Barry hissed.

"This will be a three-on-three battle. Only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokemon. Let the battle begin!" the referee announced.

"Okay Ash, are you ready?" Burgh called from across the field.

"Of course!" Ash said, glancing at Dawn in the stands.

"Dwebble, come on out!" Burgh said, throwing a Pokeball.

A small hermit crab burst from the Pokeball in a flash of light. It had a rock-like shell on its back and it's big black eyes stared at Ash expectantly.

"Okay, then, Oshawott, I choose you!" Ash followed.

Oshawott flashed out with a proud expression on its face. It placed its paw on its chest, right in front of its yellow shell.

"Wow! Unova Pokemon are so cool!" Barry said.

"And so cute!" Dawn squealed in agreement.

Dawn whipped out her usual pink Pokedex. It gave her the descriptions of both Ash's Oshawott and Burgh's Dwebble.

"How does your Pokedex have information about the Unova Pokemon?" Iris asked her.

"We stopped by Sinnoh on the way to Unova. I went to Professor Rowan's lab and his current assistants, Gary Oak and Lucas, helped me upgrade my Pokedex to include Unova Pokemon," Dawn answered, closing her Pokedex and placing it back in her pocket.

"Ash, you get the first move," Burgh said from across the battlefield.

"Okay, Oshawott, use Water Gun!" Ash commanded.

"Use Dig to dodge, Dwebble," Burgh said calmly.

Dwebble scuttled into the ground to get out of the way of Oshawott's Water Gun. The rocks from where Dwebble popped out of the ground hit Oshawott.

"Oshawott, use Razor Shell!" Ash followed up.

Oshawott grabbed the shell on its chest and threw it at Dwebble.

"Dwebble, use Protect!" Burgh said quickly.

Dwebble was surrounded by a swirling blue-green bubble.

"You can do it, Ash!" Dawn called, thrusting the pom-poms in the air.

Ash turned to Dawn and smiled. He nodded and ordered, "Use Razor Shell again, Oshawott!"

"_Osha_!" Oshawott grunted. He threw the shell once more at Dwebble.

"Dwebble, use Rock Wrecker!"

The Rock Wrecker collided with the Razor Shell. The battlefield was filled with dust, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. Once the smoke cleared, Burgh's Dwebble was lying on the ground, unconscious.

"_Osha!_" Oshawott cried out happily.

"Go Ash and Oshawott!" Dawn yelled out, waving her pom-poms with Buneary and Piplup.

"Wow, go Ash!" Barry agreed, pumping his fist in the air.

"It was okay," Drew shrugged.

"Dwebble, return!" Burgh called. "You deserve a good rest."

"Oshawott, return!" Oshawott was beamed back into its Pokeball.

"Great job, Ash," Burgh said. "Now are you ready for the real battle?"

"I'm ready!"

"Yeah, you better be," Iris muttered in the stands. "I wanna watch a good battle."

Cilan laughed. "With Ash battling, it's sure to be good, Iris."

"Pikachu, it's your turn," Ash said, looking down at Pikachu beside him.

"_Pika!_" Pikachu squeaked, running onto the battlefield.

"Go Pikachu, go Ash!" Dawn cheered.

Burgh pulled out another Pokeball, looking amused. He threw the Pokeball onto the battlefield.

"Go Whirlipede!"

0-0

**Yeah, so that was Chapter 3! Sorry, I'm not really good at writing gym battles. :P Hope you guys liked it anyway. So, now Dawn, Barry, and Drew are in Unova! Will Ash win his gym battle? You'll have to stay tuned! (I don't know about you guys, but I really liked writing Barry in this chapter…) And I don't know if I'll make it Wishfulshipping…I may not be too good at that ship, but I'll **_**most definitely**_** keep it in mind! :) And please don't forget to: **_**REVIEW!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back (after quite a _long_ time)! Here is Chapter 4 of **_**Dawn of a New Day**_**! Hope you all like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

**0-0**

"Whoa! A Whirlipede!" Dawn gasped, pulling out her Pokedex once more.

A high, trilling, mechanical voice emitted from the Pokedex, saying:

'_Whirlipede, the Curlipede Pokemon. Protected by a hard shell, it spins its body like a wheel and crashes furiously into its opponent.'_

"Ash should watch out for that Whirlipede," Cilan remarked, stroking his chin.

"Otherwise he'll lose for sure," Drew added.

"Drew!" Dawn chided.

Drew shrugged. "Hey, I'm just being honest and realistic here."

"Honest doesn't have to mean harsh," Dawn said with a hurt expression, as if Drew's comment had been directed towards her instead of Ash.

"_Sssshhhh!" _Barry hissed. "I'm _trying_ to watch!"

"Okay, Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu began to glow with a bright yellow light that signaled the electricity being generated. It sped towards Whirlipede.

"Whirlipede, Steam Roller head on!" Burgh said confidently.

Whirlipede rolled right towards Pikachu, not even caring about the inevitable impact.

"What's he doing?" Iris asked. "Is he crazy?"

Whirlipede barreled right into Pikachu, sending Pikachu flying into the battlefield wall.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out.

The dust cleared and Pikachu slowly got onto it's feet. Buneary looked like it was about to faint with worry about the Pikachu it still obviously liked.

"_Pika_!" Pikachu said.

Pikachu faltered, but straightened back up.

"Your Pikachu is very well-trained," Burgh complimented. "I applaud you for that. I'm sorry to have to do this, but Whirlipede, Solar Beam!"

Whirlipede gathered all the energy it could, then released it in a powerful blast of light. The light beam hit Pikachu and Pikachu immediately fainted.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. The winner is Whirlipede!" the referee announced.

"They both have two Pokemon left!" Barry said excitedly. "This is getting good!"

Pikachu ran back to Ash's side. "_Pikachu."_

"It's alright, buddy. You did your best," Ash said. He looked over at Burgh. "Wow, that Solar Beam sure was powerful!"

He pulled out another Pokeball. "Oshawott, you're up again!"

Oshawott flashed out of its Pokeball again.

"Oshawott again?" Iris asked. "Why didn't he use a different Pokemon?"

"If I learned anything about Ash, it's that he's totally unpredictable!" Dawn said proudly, shaking the bright pink pom-poms together. "Go Ash! You can do it!"

"Okay Oshawott, use Water Gun!" Ash called.

A powerful spout of water escaped Oshawott's mouth, but Whirlipede quickly rolled out of the way.

"Whirlipede, use Steam Roller!" Burgh yelled.

"Use Razor Shell, Oshawott!" Ash ordered.

Before Oshawott could even react, Whirlipede rolled right into it. When Oshawott got up, it was obvious it had taken some real damage.

"_That Whirlipede is just too fast. I can't attack it head on without getting hit by it,"_ Ash thought.

Ash suddenly gasped. "Oshawott, use Water Gun while spinning!"

Oshawott looked confused, but did as Ash commanded. The water surrounded Oshawott and buffeted Whirlipede while making it impossible for Whirlipede to hit Oshawott.

"Wow! When did Ash come up with that?" Iris and Cilan gasped.

"It's the Spinning Counter-Shield!" Dawn realized.

"Don't you use that in contests?" Drew asked her.

"Yeah! Ash started using them in Sinnoh for his battles after watching me use it!" Dawn replied.

"So _that's_ where Paul got that. He used it in the Sinnoh League against Ash!" Barry realized.

Whirlipede was flung into the wall by a particularly powerful Water Gun blast and fainted.

"The victor is Oshawott!" the referee announced.

"He did it!" Dawn squealed, Buneary and Piplup dancing around happily.

Burgh returned his Whirlipede. "I must say, Ash. That was a surprising and powerful move you used. I can't help but admire your creativity."

Ash scratched his head. "Well, actually _Dawn_ came up with it. It was a revised contest move."

Burgh nodded in approval to Dawn. "What a lovely muse she is."

Dawn and Ash blushed while Barry and Drew roared with laughter. Iris giggled like a little girl, then shot Ash a knowing look, which caused Ash to turn an even more brilliant scarlet.

"Quite the combination of flavors, this group," Cilan remarked. "And the heart of it all is Dawn and Ash. They compliment each other so well…it's quite the bouquet for the senses!"

"Now it's time for my most trusted partner…Leavanny, you're up!" Burgh called.

Ash pulled out a Pokeball and stared hard at it. "Don't let me down."

"Go, Tepig!"

0-0

**Sorry for the increasingly **_**long**_ **update, I really am! I hope you liked Chapter 4...even though I didn't really like it…I was out of ideas again. *sighs* Well, I'll try to get Chapter 5 up faster next time (and hopefully with more Pearlshipping hints!)…I'll see you later and remember: I love REVIEWS!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry that I'm slow on updates. It's those annoying finals and everything! Well, I hope you guys like Chapter 5!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Pokemon**

**0-0**

The tiny orange pig-like Pokemon flashed out of Ash's Pokeball. It faced Burgh's Leavanny with a determined expression on it's face that matched the one Dawn had seen countless times on Ash.

"Let's see what you have in store for Leavanny and me!" Burgh challenged.

"Okay then, Tepig. Use Ember!" Ash ordered.

Little embers escaped Tepig's nose in a flurry. However, the attack was stopped right in its tracks when Burgh yelled, "Leavanny, use Protect!" Leavanny's leaf-like body was consumed with a swirling blue-green bubble. The embers created by Tepig pinged harmlessly off of the protection bubble.

"Now Leavanny! Use String Shot!" Burgh commanded.

The white string shot out of Leavanny's mouth, quickly looping itself around Tepig.

"_Tepig!" _Tepig squealed as the String Shot wrapped around it.

"Tepig, Return!" Ash called.

Tepig disappeared in a flash of red light.

"It's not so easy going up against my trusted Leavanny, is it, Ash?" Burgh asked.

Ash scratched his head sheepishly. "You've got that right."

"It's okay Ash! I believe in you!" Dawn shouted from the stands.

"Jeez, thanks Dawn."

Burgh looked knowingly at Ash as Iris and Cilan exchanged glances. Barry seemed oblivious as always, but Drew seemed to be thinking about something.

"Did you notice the way Dawn gets so…_protective_ of Ash?" Drew asked Barry.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Barry replied distractedly.

"I mean that I think Dawn likes Ash," Drew said, a brooding frown on his face.

"_What?_" Barry said. He burst into laughter. "Dawn? Like Ash? If Dawn liked anyone I would've thought it would have been you, Mister Hair-Flip-That-Makes-All-My-Fan-Girls-Go-Psycho."

"That has got to be the strangest, most idiotic thing that anyone has ever called me. And I've been called Drewsy."

"_Drewsy?_ I'm _so_ using that against you," Barry laughed.

"Shut your mouth, Barry."

"Whatever," Barry said, a smile on his face.

"Excuse me, _Drewsy_ and Hyper Guy, but I'm _trying_ to watch Ash's battle," Iris said.

Drew turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. "_Don't call me Drewsy!"_

"Cool! Hyper Guy sounds like a superhero name!" Barry said. "Oh yeah. Back to Ash's battle!"

Ash had called out Oshawott again. "Oshawott, use Razor Shell!"

"Dodge it, Leavanny," Burgh commanded calmly as his Leavanny swiftly dodged the Razor Shell.

"That's one fast Leavanny!" Dawn commented.

"It dodged a fast move like Razor Shell. Burgh has obviously trained Leavanny quite well," Cilan remarked. "I wonder what Ash is going to do now."

"Use Water Gun while spinning again!" Ash ordered.

The powerful streams of water gushed out of Oshawott's mouth as it spun around.

It looked like the water was going to hit Leavanny when Burgh told it to use Protect again.

The water splashed safely onto the Protect bubble while Leavanny stayed perfectly dry.

"Now, Leavanny!"

"_Leavanny!"_ Leavanny said, shooting another String Shot.

The String Shot enveloped Oshawott. Oshawott couldn't find a way to escape the String Shot.

"Hyper Beam!"

The powerful blast from Hyper Beam caused Oshawott to instantly faint. The white string fell away from Oshawott's body as Oshawott slumped to the floor with swirls over its eyes.

"_Osha…"_ it said weakly.

"Wow, they're both down to their last Pokemon!" Barry said excitedly as Ash returned Oshawott.

"Man, that Leavanny is tough," Ash told Burgh. "Thank you Ash. Let's see how you fare with your Tepig," Burgh replied.

"Okay. Tepig, I choose you!"

Tepig once again flashed out of its Pokeball. Fire shot from Tepig's little pig nose.

"_Tepig!"_

"Tepig, use Ember!"

"Protect, Leavanny," Burgh said once more as the bubble once again surrounded Leavanny.

Tepig's Ember attack was once again harmless.

"Why would Ash do that if he knows that Burgh is just going to use Protect?" Iris asked.

Cilan stroked his chin. "I'm not sure."

"Now, Leavanny! String Shot again!" Burgh called.

"Tepig, Ember!" Ash ordered.

The String Shot burned away once the hot embers touched it. The Ember attack then struck Leavanny. Leavanny was slammed into the battlefield wall.

"Now Tepig, use Flame Charge!"

Tepig's body became outlined in red and red circles of energy came from its body. Tepig then charged toward Leavanny through the red circles and its body became surrounded by an orb of bright, hot flames. It then jumped and flew into the air, and slammed directly into Leavanny.

Smoke enveloped the entire battlefield, veiling Tepig and Leavanny. Once the smoke cleared, Leavanny had fainted.

"Yes! He won! Ash won!" Dawn cheered, jumping up and down.

"Wow! Did you see the power of that Flame Charge? That was _amazing!_ How will I beat that? I'll have to become stronger so I can beat Ash! I have to find somewhere to train!" Barry rambled, pumping his fist into the air.

"Hmm. So Ash won. Maybe he's better than I give him credit for," Drew said, a smile on his face.

"Great job Ash. I must say that was an invigorating battle. You have trained your Pokemon extremely well. I commend you for that," Burgh complimented.

"Thanks Burgh."

"I now present you with the Insect Badge." Burgh opened up a case and lying in the velvet was a shining green badge. It was shaped like a heart, or an insect's wing.

Ash picked it up and said, "I just won the Insect Badge!"

"That was so amazing! You've learned a ton since Sinnoh!" Dawn said.

"I wouldn't have won without you cheering me on. And of course, the Spinning Counter-Shield," Ash said modestly.

Dawn threw her arms around him, making him blush. "It was nothing."

"_Ahem._ We were cheering you on too, Ash," Iris said exasperatedly, flicking Ash in the head.

"Oh, right," Ash said, still bright red. "Thanks you guys."

"Well, we'd better get to the Pokemon Center before it gets too late," Cilan suggested.

"Not on our watch," a very familiar voice said. The voice seemed magnified to a much louder volume.

Suddenly, a claw burst through the roof of the Castelia Gym. It scooped up Piplup, Buneary, and Pikachu.

"_Team Rocket!"_

0-0

**So, that was Chapter 5 of **_**Dawn of a New Day!**_** I hope you guys liked it! I'll get Chapter 6 up as soon as I can…please don't forget to REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm actually back! No, I didn't die, but my computer did and ended up losing ALL of my stories. I finally got my computer up again and I got some review mail in my email inbox and I felt all guilty about all of the stories I had ended up putting on hold. The characters may be OOC and the chapter may sort of suck, but at least I'm back and I brought an update! Yay! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon does not, did not, and probably will not belong to me**

**0-0**

"Team Rocket _again?_" Barry asked, an exasperated look on his face.

"Do you losers _ever_ give up?" Drew added, staring at the vast silver machine.

"It's the green-head from Hoenn!" Meowth exclaimed. "And that hyperactive kid from Sinnoh!"

"And the cheerleading twerpette!" James added. "Talk about a twerp reunion."

"Aren't you those idiots who used to try to steal Pokemon?" Drew taunted. "I see it still hasn't worked out yet."

"_Excuse me! _I'm right _here!_" Jessie called out from inside the see-through control center of the robot. "I'll teach you to call me an idiot!"

Team Rocket simultaneously moved a lever. The claw of the robot rushed towards Drew and hit him in the chest, causing him to fly into the other side of the gym.

"_Drew!"_ Dawn gasped. She reached for a Pokeball and released her Quilava. At the same time, Barry and Ash summoned Snivy and Empoleon.

"Quilava, use Swift!"

"Empoleon, Hydro Cannon!"

"And Snivy, you use Vine Whip!"

Team Rocket was buffeted by the vines, spiraling gold stars, and the jet of powerful water all at the same time, causing the robot to tilt off balance. James lurched forward and accidentally bumped into the button that released Pikachu, Piplup and Buneary. They landed in Iris and Cilan's arms.

"Now, Quilava, Eruption!" Dawn commanded.

The flames burst from Quilava's tiny body, causing Team Rocket's robot to go up in bright hot scarlet flames. Almost immediately, the fire came in contact with the wiring of the robot and gleaming sparks shot from the places where the fire touched the wires. The robot flew out of the hole it made in the ceiling.

"We're blasting off _again!" _Team Rocket yelled, this time sounding irritated from their many countless blastoffs.

"I can't say I missed _them,_" Dawn said, returning her Quilava and Buneary.

"Unfortunately they follow me wherever I go," Ash said sheepishly, rubbing his head.

"Lets go to the Pokemon center. You're going to need to have your Pokemon healed up," Cilan reminded Ash.

"That's right. Let's go!" Ash agreed.

Upon reaching the Pokemon Center, Dawn changed back into her normal clothes. By the time she came back out, Drew was surrounded by a crowd of fangirls. The girls were giggling at everything he said, even when it wasn't funny. Iris was looking amused as one girl fainted when Drew flipped his hair.

One particularly pretty girl, with long wavy hair and glimmery blue eyes pushed past the others. Dawn was used to these fangirls because of her journey with Drew, but she had to admire this girl's confidence.

"So, Drew." The girl fluttered her eyelashes and flipped her hair. "I'm Lila and I want you to go with me to the Beautifly Ball."

"Wow, she didn't even sound like she was giving him an _option_ of turning her down," Cilan said.

"That's _some_ girl," Ash said.

Dawn gave him a look and Ash blushed scarlet. "That's not what I meant, Dawn-I just meant that...I mean that-"

"I know what you meant," Dawn laughed. "But I didn't know there even _was_ a Beautifly Ball."

"You don't know about the Beautifly Ball?" Lila gasped. "In Castelia, the Beautifly Ball is the biggest event of the year! Everyone who's _anyone_ goes...and with a date too. Which brings me back to...Drew?"

"Nah," Drew answered. "I'm good."

Lila shot him a look that could probably kill a Lillipup. "Are you _seriously_ turning me down?"

Drew shrugged. He got up and walked back towards the others. Iris raised her eyebrows once he reached them.

"So does that happen wherever you go?" Iris questioned.

"What do you mean?" Drew asked nonchalantly.

"Uh, the airhead stalker girls who flock you?"

"Oh, that. Yeah." Drew shrugged as if he really hadn't noticed it at all.

"I really want to go to this Beautifly Ball now," Dawn said, her eyes sparkling. "We'd get to dress up nicely and everything!"

"Ugh." Barry stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Come on, Dawn. You know that's not my thing."

"It's really not my sort of thing either," Ash admitted.

"Oh no, you don't Ketchum. You're going to that ball," Iris ordered. "And so are you, Hyper Guy."

Iris turned to Cilan and Drew. "I need to talk to you two. Ash, Dawn, and Barry can stay here."

Cilan and Drew turned to each other and shrugged. They followed Iris away from the others and once safely out of earshot, Iris turned to them.

"We _have_ to get Dawn and Ash together!" she hissed conspiratorially.

"_Iris!"_ Cilan groaned. "Don't meddle. _Please_ don't meddle."

"Come on, Cilan! I know that it's not just me who sees that it's so blatantly _obvious_ that Ash and Dawn love each other!"

"She's got a point. They _are_ pretty obvious about their feelings. It's just that they're too oblivious to notice that the other likes them back," Drew agreed.

"_Exactly!_ Ash is too dense to realize anything and Dawn just can't understand the conflicting hints he's giving her. If I was her, I'd be confused too!"

"But Iris," Cilan protested. "It's not right to meddle with other people's love lives. Ash and Dawn will talk it over when they're ready."

"And when is _that?_ When will Ash _ever_ be ready, Cilan?" Iris countered hysterically.

"Again, Lady Cupid here has a point. Ash won't do anything. I was kind of counting on Dawn to make the first move, even though that's not what _I'd_ do," Drew said.

"Well, I'm sorry that you can have girls falling all over you left and right! This might _never _happen to Ash again! Ever!" Iris exclaimed.

"First of all Iris, be quieter. Second, I'm sure it won't be the only time Ash gets a girl to like him," Cilan cut in.

"Yeah, but _some _people have no problem with the ladies," Iris jabbed, glaring at Drew. "And unfortunately, Ash doesn't fit that."

"Listen, Iris. You may think I'm stuck up and I'm all smooth with the girls, but actually, the one girl I actually _do_ like kind of hates my guts!" Drew retorted, sick of Iris's insults which were obviously directed towards him.

Iris's eyes widened. "Really? I-I'm sorry."

"See, this is what meddling does, Iris," Cilan sighed.

"But _this_ is serious. We have to come up with a plan. What I was thinking was that we all drop hints to Ash about asking Dawn out. We'll have to corner Ash and distract Dawn somehow. We can sort out the kinks later. But, we _really_ need to do this."

"_Fine_, Iris. But I'm only doing this so you'll stop pestering me and all of this can just be over with," Cilan said.

"I'm cool with everything. Messing with people's lives is actually something I can do," Drew agreed.

"Good. Team Matchmaker starts their plan tomorrow!" Iris said, loud enough for the whole Pokemon Center lobby to stop in their tracks.

As Cilan smacked his forehead against his palm, he couldn't help but wonder what in _Arceus_ he had gotten himself into.

0-0

"Has _anyone_ else noticed how weird Iris is acting?" Barry asked Dawn and Ash at breakfast the next morning.

Barry was right to notice this, considering she had _insisted_ on Cilan, Drew, and herself sitting at a table away from theirs. She was also throwing furtive glares at Ash and rolling her eyes. At one point, she got up, smacked the table hard as if making a point, then sat back down, much to Drew's surprise.

"I haven't really noticed much. Iris tends to act a little weird sometimes," Ash shrugged, his mouth full. Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's shoulder, was also seemingly ravenous.

"I see you still haven't changed your eating habits," Dawn said, smiling gently.

"Well, when you're hungry, you're hungry!" Ash replied, to which Piplup agreed heartily.

This time even Barry noticed the sweet look Dawn was giving Ash. It made him queasy to even think about it. Barry wasn't the type for romantic stuff; it was all a waste of time in his opinion. He felt like smacking her just to remind her that he was there too and he was _fully_ aware of the sickening look she had on her face. Luckily for Dawn, this wasn't necessary as Iris, Cilan, and Drew made their way back to the table.

"So we have today all planned out!" Iris said, sounding just a tad too cheerful.

"What are we doing?" Dawn asked.

"There's an amazing collection of shops here, so you, Little Miss, are shopping for all of us!" Iris told her. Dawn beamed at the idea.

"Barry, you can go with her too," Iris added.

"_What? _Dress shopping...with _Dawn?_ You're joking, right?" Barry asked.

Dawn slapped his arm. "Is being around me really _that_ bad?"

"Yes," Barry answered seriously. "When you're shopping, you're like a vortex of absolute _girlyness _that I do _not_ want to get caught in. It's almost as frightening as when you get your hair messed up and it's my fault, or when you get all annoyed when I try to make you walk faster...or when you were mad that I told the story about you from that time at Twinleaf-"

Dawn interrupted and blushed bright red. The truth had earned Barry yet another slap on the arm and a peck from Piplup. Ash turned to Iris.

"I could go with Dawn instead," Ash suggested.

"Yeah!" Barry brightened at the idea. "I have _no_ problem with that!"

"No!" Iris commanded forcefully. "Ash, we have something to do."

"Something that needs me, you, Cilan, _and_ Drew?"

"_Yes!_" Iris said exasperatedly. "Stop asking questions!"

"What Iris is trying to say is that we need _you _specifically, Ash," Cilan said in a much nicer tone.

"Okay then. Whatever you say," Ash replied.

"All righty then! Let's go!" Iris said.

"I'll see you later Ash," Dawn told him brightly.

Ash turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. Pikachu seemed to roll it's eyes as Ash got up from the table, leaving Dawn with Barry.

"Do we _really_ have to-" he began.

"_What did I say about asking questions?"_

0-0

"How about...this one? I think it would suit Iris. Don't you?" Dawn asked Barry excitedly, holding up a cream colored dress.

Barry was lying on the couch beside the dressing rooms, looking utterly bored. Dawn, right by him at the dress rack, flicked him in the head.

"Barry!"

"Yeah, sure, it's great," Barry said.

"I'm serious," Dawn sighed.

"And _I'm _seriously not interested," Barry told her impatiently. He was running his hands through his wild blond hair, his gleaming orange eyes flicking to the clock every few seconds.

"Fine. You want something to do, Barry? I'm looking for _your_ outfit now. You can try out whatever I decide to make you wear," Dawn said, a mischievious twinkle in her eyes.

"No. Dawn-I'm warning you...D-Dawn!" Barry yelped as Dawn yanked his wrist, pulling him off the couch.

"Tuxedos, here we come!" Dawn said, laughing her head off as Barry groaned.

Barry turned to a nearby couple as they hurried past, muttering, "_Just kill me now."_

0-0

_Three hours later..._

"Remind me _never_ to go dress shopping with you _ever again_," Barry moaned to Dawn, plopping onto the chair next to Drew.

"Was it absolute _torture_?" Drew asked amusedly.

"I don't even want to _talk _about it. So many ties...the dumb collars..._ugh_." Barry shuddered.

The group had reunited again and was currently eating lunch at a cafe. Dawn noticed the brooding, contemplative look on Ash's usually enthusiastic face.

"Ash, are you okay?" Dawn asked him worriedly.

Iris shot Ash a meaningful look, then turned back to her argument with Cilan over which Pokemon would win against which others.

"Hey, Dawn? Can I talk to you for a sec?" Ash asked, getting up and offering her his hand.

"Yeah," Dawn replied, taking his very familiar hand in hers. "Sure, Ash."

Once Ash had led Dawn a distance away from the others, he turned to look into her eyes. Deep, unusually intense brown met confused, sparkling sapphire.

"Ash, what's going-?"

"Dawn...will you go to the ball with me?"

0-0

**I know, I know...it was _awful_, and _horribly_** OOC, but it was an update! Gosh, I don't think I did very well on that one...darn that writer's block. Suckish or not, please, _please_, _PLEASE_ review!


	7. Chapter 7

**Bonjour _Dawn of a New Day_ readers! Again...super sorry about not updating in a long time, so now I'm trying to make up for it with quicker, longer chapters! I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is not, under any circumstance, mine.**

**0-0**

_**Flashback...**_

_As soon as Iris, Cilan, and Drew had gotten Ash out of the Pokemon Center, Iris turned to him._

_"You **have **to ask Dawn to the Beautifly Ball!" Iris commanded._

_"What?"_

_"You heard me. Ask Dawn to the Beautifly Ball!"_

_"But-"_

_"Don't even try to argue, Ketchum! We can **all** tell that you have a huge crush on Dawn," Iris told him._

_"But I-it's not...I can't...she doesn't..."_

_"No excuses! If you don't, we'll set our Pokemon on you!" Iris threatened._

_Cilan cut in, saying, "It'll be fine, Ash. I'm sure Dawn will say yes."_

_"I never said I liked Dawn," Ash replied, his face turning bright red._

_"Well, you don't do a very good job of trying to hide it," Drew said. "So don't try hiding it now."_

_"Yeah, and we've already distracted Dawn by letting her pick out all of our ball outfits with Barry. You'll have a few hours to think about what you're going to do."_

_"What makes you think I'm going to do this?" Ash asked her._

_"You **have**-" Iris began, but Drew cut her off._

_"Listen to me, Ash," Drew said seriously. "Do you **want** some other guy asking Dawn to the ball? Because if you don't do it now, some other guy will and you're going to regret it."_

_"Drew's right, Ash. I'm sure you'll do fine with whatever you decide to do," Cilan added kindly._

_"So...will you do it?" Iris asked Ash._

_Ash looked confused, but thoughtful at the same time. "I'-I'll think about it."_

0-0

_**Present time...**_

"Wait...what?" Dawn said incredulously, her cheeks turning a rosy pink.

"I asked if you wanted to go the ball with me," Ash repeated, starting to blush as well once he realized what he had just done.

"Are you serious?" Dawn asked Ash.

Ash felt like sinking into the ground like a ghost Pokemon. _'I never should've done that. Now she thinks that I'm a total loser!'_

"Because...because if you _are_ serious, I'd love to!" Dawn squealed excitedly.

Ash looked like he had been Poison Jabbed by Croagunk. "Really?"

"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Wow...I-"

"Well, we'd better get ready for the ball. It starts in two hours," Dawn said, winking.

"But I don't have a-" Ash stopped in the middle of his sentence when Dawn tossed a garment bag into his hands.

"See you there, Ash."

0-0

"Do you want to know my secret to the perfect hair style?" Dawn asked Iris as they got ready in the room they shared in the Pokemon Center.

"I want to know. Believe me," Iris laughed, pointing towards her poofy purple hair.

Dawn held up a bedazzled pink hair straightener. "This. We should _so _try it on your hair tonight."

"Okay," Iris agreed as Dawn started straightening her hair.

They both watched as the hot plates seemingly-magically changed Iris's kinks into sleek, shiny purple locks. Iris's eyes widened in excitement.

"Wow! This is amazing!" Iris gasped.

Dawn beamed. "I love giving makeovers."

"So what did you get the boys to wear? I mean, _our_ dresses are absolutely amazing, so I can't wait to see what you got them to wear!"

"You'll just have to wait," Dawn said vaguely. "I'm sure Drew will be a hit with the girls again. Like that Lila girl." Dawn rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Actually, Drew told me that the one girl he actually _does_ like hates his guts. Is that true?" Iris asked as Dawn continued doing her hair.

"Drew likes someone? He never told me that!" Dawn said. Right after she finished her sentence, she squeaked in surprise as Axew jumped out of Iris's hair and onto the bed that Piplup was perched on. Piplup nearly fainted of shock.

Iris, acting like that was perfectly normal, continued the conversation. "Yeah. Do you know who that would be?"

Dawn frowned in thought. Then suddenly, her face lit up. "I know! It _has_ to be her!"

"Who? And what are we going to do?" Iris asked, obviously confused.

"Just leave it to me," Dawn said, holding up her updated Poketch with a phone app. "I know _exactly_ what to do."

0-0

"Do you know where Dawn and Iris are?" Ash asked Cilan as they entered the ballroom. "And Drew and Barry too."

The ballroom was extravagantly decorated, with glittering golden lanterns shaped like a Beautifly hanging from the ceiling and beautifully carved ice sculptures in the shape of Masquerains, Milotics, Ninetales, Rapidashes, Gardevoirs, and other pretty Pokemon. Gold and silver streamers were hanging gracefully all over the room and delicate white flowers were placed on the banisters of the staircase. It was already full of people in fancy outfits, dancing and mingling.

"I don't know," Cilan replied, pulling on his dark blue suit. "I must say, money is no object for Dawn. These look expensive."

"Yeah..." Ash agreed, gesturing towards his simple black tuxedo. "I guess Dawn didn't want me to be too fancy."

Suddenly they heard almost all of the girls in the ballroom squeal in unison. They rushed from where they were standing and flocked over to the bottom of the staircase in a huge crowd. Once Ash and Cilan looked up at who was entering the ballroom from the door at the top of the staircase, they realized why the girls had suddenly freaked out.

Drew and Barry were at the top of the staircase with Dawn and Iris right behind them. Drew was wearing a pale gray ensemble with buttons made of emeralds. A rose was in the lapel of his jacket. Cilan and Ash's jaws dropped when they saw Iris's hair. It was sleek and shiny and completely different from how it usually was. Iris was wearing a dress that was solid crimson on top with a black belt separating it from the floral red skirt. She was wearing black leather boots and vine-shaped bracelets that criss-crossed around her wrists. Drew walked down the steps and the girls surrounded him. Iris followed him down, pushing through the girls to get to Ash and Cilan.

Even from their spot in the middle of the room, they could hear Barry complaining about having to dress elegantly. He had on a bright white tuxedo and a black bowtie that Dawn was fixing. Barry tried to get her to stop fussing over it, but she slapped his hand when he tried to get her to let go of his bowtie. As soon as Dawn was finished with the bowtie and Barry thought it was over with, Dawn decided that his hair needed to be fixed. Barry groaned again and told her he was going to fine her as she began to brush through his hair with her fingers. Once Dawn was satisfied with Barry's appearance, she turned around to face the crowd in the ballroom.

Ash's eyes widened and he felt like he couldn't breathe. His gaze was transfixed on Dawn. She was wearing a floor length strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and a mermaid tail skirt. It was made of a pearly cream silk and was layered with pale pink chiffon. She had delicate pink pearl earrings on and a white gold necklace with a heart-shaped pink diamond in the middle. Her skin was cream-and-roses and her dark blue hair was pulled into a simple tendril bun with wavy face framing strands. Ash didn't think that Dawn could possibly look any _more_ beautiful, but once she saw him standing there, her face lit up with a smile that Ash was sure could outshine the sun.

Dawn ran down the steps towards Ash, stopping only to roll her eyes at the girls who practically attacked Drew and Barry. Once she reached Ash, he couldn't stop staring at her.

"Hi Ash," she said brightly. "You look really nice."

"You-you-you-" Ash stuttered.

Iris and Cilan hit his back. And the words tumbled out. "You look _so _amazing."

"Aw, thanks," Dawn replied.

A slow song came on and just as Ash was about to ask Dawn to dance, Drew and Barry ran in between them. Both were out of breath and practically wheezing.

"What's wrong with you two?" Iris asked, sipping a glass of punch.

"Those..._girls_...won't...leave...us..._alone_," Barry gasped out.

"Wow, Dawn. You did really well if you got the girls to go after Barry," Drew teased.

"Drew, I'm _fining_ you for saying that!" Barry yelled.

"_Drew!_" A high-pitched squeal interrupted their conversation.

Drew's eyes closed in exasperation as he turned to see Lila in a cerulean blue dress running up to him. "Hi Lila."

"Are you ready to dance?" Lila asked him.

"I'm _pretty_ sure I told you that I didn't want to be your date," Drew said.

"Maybe you should just leave him alone," Cilan agreed sheepishly.

Lila glared at Cilan, who shrank back at her glare. "I didn't ask you."

"Don't glare at him!" Dawn and Iris defended.

Lila haughtily flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Come on Drew. Drew? _Drew!_"

Lila had completely lost Drew's attention as a certain girl entered the ballroom. Drew pushed Lila out of the way as he gawked at the girl, walking towards the staircase.

She made her way down the stairs towards Drew. She had her hands behind her back, hiding something from view. Her brunette hair was pinned back away from her face to show how much she was smiling. She was wearing a dress with a velvet dark green bodice dotted with glistening diamonds. Her dress's skirt was red velvet and folded and layered to look like a rose.

She stopped once she reached Drew. "Surprise."

"_May?_" Drew whispered in awe.

"So I hear that you think I hate your guts. _And _that I'm the only girl you actually _do_ like," May said teasingly.

For once, the confident, suave Drew was blushing profusely. "How did you-why are you-?"

"I thought that _maybe, _since you always give me roses, that I would get you one in return," May said, winking, then pulling a rose from behind her back.

Drew took the rose and laughed. "Thanks May. Now...you wanna dance?"

May took Drew's outstretched hand as he led her onto the dancefloor.

"How did you get May here?" Ash asked Dawn.

"I just called her and told her my plan. She hurried to Unova right away," Dawn giggled.

Cilan cleared his throat. "So, Iris. Do _you_ want to dance?"

"Sure! Let's go!" Iris answered, pulling Cilan to the dancefloor.

Lila, obviously furious at May, turned up her nose, twirled on her heel, and stomped away. Barry, not the type for all that mushy romantic stuff, hurried to the buffet table and began to ravenously eat the food. Now it was just Dawn and Ash alone.

"Aren't you going to follow Barry's lead and eat the whole buffet table?" Dawn joked, softly elbowing Ash in the arm.

"I'm not hungry for once," Ash told her.

Dawn pretended to gasp in shock. "Oh Arceus! I never thought I'd _ever _hear you say that in your life, Ash Ketchum!"

"Well, I was thinking that we should dance instead. So, do you want to?" he asked, offering her his hand.

"It's a little different than our usual high fives," Dawn began.

"Yeah..." Ash agreed.

"But I thought you'd _never_ ask."

0-0

**So that was Chapter 7! I hope you guys all liked it! I brought back May and added a _little_ Wishfulshipping and everything! It was probably cliche and all that, but I'm a sucker for the cheesy stuff! Well, whether you loved it or hated it, you know what to do! _REVIEW! _:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Sorry for the break I took, but now I'm back again! I think I'll have to finish up the story in the next chapter or two, so don't be surprised if I end it soon. Thanks for all the support, favorites, story alerts, and (especially) the reviews! Here's Chapter 8!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon is not mine; rights go to respective owners...**

**0-0**

"This has got to be the best party ever!" Iris said to the rest of them as they sat at a table.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome," Dawn agreed, smiling brightly.

"Where are Drew and May?" Ash asked. "They just disappeared."

"I'm sure they're off dancing in the crowd," Barry replied offhandedly. He turned excitedly towards Ash. "So did you _see_ that huge cake that was shaped like a Teddiursa? It was _so_ cool!"

"And it tasted really good too!" Iris added, rubbing her stomach contentedly.

"There's May and Drew," Cilan pointed out as May and Drew hurried to their table from the crowd.

"You wouldn't _believe_ what happened!" May exclaimed, her eyes gleaming.

"What is it?" Dawn asked.

"So lately, I've been really..._bored._ I've done contests in every single region and I've kind of run out of things to do. So these people suggested that I enter some Pokemon Musicals here in Unova!" May told them. "I called my parents and they said it would be okay if I traveled Unova."

"That's great, May!" Dawn gushed. "But you're going to travel alone?"

"No," Drew answered. "I'm going with May. Sorry Dawn, Barry, but if you guys are going to travel the other regions, I'm not going."

"No need to worry, Drew. It's great that you're going to travel with May though."

"Yeah, the Musicals here are awesome! You're going to love it!" Iris told them.

"And I'm sure you'll blow the competition away," Cilan agreed.

"Thanks guys!" May beamed, looping her arm around Drew's.

"So, _are_ you going to travel the other regions?" Drew asked, looking at Dawn and Barry.

"Of course! I was thinking of doing Kanto next. That should be fun!" Barry said immediately.

Dawn bit her lip. "Well...I don't really know. I actually wanted to do some contests in Kanto too. It would be great seeing Brock again and I'm sure Kanto contests would be awesome..."

"We could travel together again," Barry suggested.

Dawn glanced at Ash, who was frowning. "Yeah. That would be a good idea. My mom would like that I have someone to keep me company."

Ash suddenly stood up from the table. "I'm going to the balcony. You know, fresh air."

Ash hurried away, disappearing in the crowd. Dawn looked concernedly in the direction he went.

"What was _that_ about?" Iris asked.

"I think Ash doesn't want me to leave," Dawn replied. "But my trip wasn't forever. He should've realized."

"Do you want me to go talk to him?" Cilan suggested, starting to get up from his seat.

Dawn stopped him. "No, it's okay Cilan. I will."

Dawn got up and made her way through the crowd.

Drew plopped into Ash's empty seat and looked at the others. "So...what food's good?"

0-0

_'Why would I think she would actually stay? I'm such an idiot!'_ Ash thought to himself, leaning against the railing on the balcony. _'Of course she would leave. Why would she want to stay here with me? She won the Hoenn Grand Festival, of course she wants to continue contests. Did I think she'd just give up her dreams to stay in Unova with me?'_

Ash groaned and smacked his forehead with his palm. "Idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," a voice told him, coming from behind him.

"Dawn." Ash whirled around and sure enough, it was Dawn. Her hair was starting to come out of it's bun, probably from having to push through the crowd to get to him. She looked worried, like she used to before contest results were given.

"Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" Dawn asked him, laying her hand on his arm.

"I'm fine," Ash told her, avoiding her eyes.

"Ash, you're a _really _terrible liar," Dawn laughed gently.

Ash dropped onto the bench. "Yeah, I know."

Dawn sat down next to him. "So do _you_ want to tell me why you're upset or do you want me to tell you my guess? I have the feeling the answers will be the same either way."

"Well...I wasn't thinking and I guess I assumed that you were going to stay in Unova to travel with me again. I was just being slow. Of course you aren't going to stay here!" Ash said.

Dawn looked thoughtful, then said, "Ash...if you want, I think I could put my Contest stuff on hold and stay here until you finish the region."

Ash vigorously shook his head. "No! I can't do that! You're on your way to becoming one of the best Coordinators in the world. I can't be selfish and keep you from following your dreams."

"That's really sweet, Ash, but really. It doesn't matter much for me to stay here if it makes you feel better," Dawn told him.

Ash took hold of her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen to me, Dawn. If you stayed, I would just feel guilty and selfish. You need to go out there and show Kanto what an _amazing_ Coordinator you are. _That's_ when I'll feel better. When you're out there doing what you love to do. Just call me when you get to the Grand Festival. I'll come over there as soon as I can."

Dawn's expression softened. "Okay Ash. And don't think I want you to call me when you get to the Unova League. Me and Barry will be on the next flight to Unova as fast as possible."

Ash grinned and raised a hand. Dawn smiled back and high fived Ash's hand with hers. Their hands fit perfectly together, just like they used to.

"I'm going to miss you though," Dawn told him.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Dawn."

Dawn took a deep breath and under the stars, she leaned in and kissed him.

0-0

**So, yeah, that was Chapter 8! Not much going on, but I hope it wasn't too _too_ bad! Again, sorry for leaving the story hanging for a while. Please review and tell me what you thought.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I am _super_ sorry for not updating sooner! :( I just haven't really had any idea what to do with this story anymore, but I felt _so_ bad for leaving it hanging like this. So really, I'm going to wrap up this story soon. Here is the really short Chapter 9...hope it's not _that_ bad!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon isn't mine**

0-0

Iris just _knew_ something had happened when both Ash and Dawn came back from the balcony with their faces red. Iris jabbed Drew and Cilan in the ribs with her elbows.

"Ouch!" Cilan hissed. "What was that for?"

Iris nodded her head in Ash and Dawn's direction.

_"Ohh,"_ Cilan realized.

Drew's mouth fell open into a perfect 'O.' "I can't believe he got Dawn to kiss him."

"I knew something was going on between those two!" May squealed excitedly.

"What do you mean?" Barry asked. "They seem normal to me."

"You're so oblivious," Iris sighed.

"Hey! I'm going to fine you for calling me that!"

Dawn and Ash made their way back to the others.

"What's Barry going to fine Iris for?" Dawn asked.

"A better question would be why your faces are so red," Drew replied. "So, what happened out there?"

Ash blushed even harder. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to us, Ash Ketchum," May said, her hands on her hips. "We aren't idiots, you know."

"It was nothing," Dawn insisted. But she leaned over and whispered to May and Iris, "I'll tell you guys later."

May and Iris giggled. The rest of the ball was quite boring after that, so they decided to leave early. The girls hurried to their room, where they were no doubt going to be gossiping all night. The boys however, had no idea what to do.

"We could always battle!" Barry suggested.

"That's what you always say, Barry," Drew said, rolling his eyes.

"We're trainers, we should battle!"

Ash nodded. "I agree with him on that."

"No," Drew said immediately. "Not until you tell us what's going on between you and Dawn."

"We told you already! Nothing."

"Your lying skills are about as awful as Barry is at being patient."

"Or about as awful as Drew is at _not_ being conceited," Barry shot back.

"Need I remind you that I still have that _video?_" Drew asked.

Barry paled. "Hey! You said you wouldn't blackmail me about that anymore!"

"Hey, you could've told Dawn's mom _not_ to videotape you at the Twinleaf Festival if you didn't want anyone to see you dressed up like-"

"La la la! I can't hear you!" Barry sang, his hands over his ears.

Cilan sighed and shook his head. "For some reason, I'm certain I don't want to know the details of _that_ story."

"_Anyway,_ back to Ash. So, you and Dawn?" Drew said expectantly. "And don't even bother with the _'nothing'_ that I know you're going to give me. We all see right through it. I'm sure even a three-year old could tell you're lying."

"Okay...so, maybe Dawn may have, kind of, sort of...maybe kissed me?" Ash hurriedly said.

"I _knew_ it!"

"Hmm, maybe Iris was right after all," Cilan shrugged.

"Yeah, and now I owe her money," Drew muttered.

"Aw! I didn't know we were betting on whether or not Dawn would kiss Ash!" Barry said.

"So, was it nice?" Drew asked Ash.

Ash turned bright red. "Oh, look, I've gotta go...uh, train now. Bye guys!"

He tried to run away, but Drew grabbed hold of his shirt collar. "Hey, you're not getting away that easily!"

0-0

"So then he told me he would miss me too. I just leaned over and I kissed him," Dawn shrugged happily.

"Aww!" May and Iris said in unison.

Iris pumped her fist in the air. "Now Drew owes me money!"

"What?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing!" Iris said hurriedly.

"I think you two are really sweet," May told Dawn. "You guys have so much in common without being exactly alike. He encourages you, you cheer him on. And you guys are downright adorable to boot!"

Dawn laughed. "Thanks May."

"And how about you and Greenhead?" Iris teased, nudging May with her elbow. "You guys are going to be traveling together. That'll be interesting."

"If we can make it through one city without too much bickering I'll think of it as an accomplishment!" May exclaimed.

"Well, now you at least know how he really feels about you! The one girl Drew actually _does_ like!" Dawn giggled.

May put her hand over her heart. "Oh, bless the poor souls of his fangirls. It's not one of them that the oh-so-amazing Drew likes, it's just little old me!"

"Come on, I'm sure even the fangirls noticed that he liked you," Dawn said. "He gave you _roses!_ It's just so romantic-and obvious!"

"Says the girl who didn't realize Ash had a crush on her until just recently," May countered.

Dawn laughed. "Point taken."

May turned her attention towards Iris. "So, is there anyone in particular you have _your_ sights set on, Iris?"

"You _did_ dance with Cilan," Dawn said. "Is there something going on there?"

"No!" Iris hurriedly replied. "I don't like anyone like that right now."

"I don't know if I believe her. Do you, Dawn?" May asked mischievously.

"Not really...I mean, you _did_ deny liking Cilan pretty quickly..." Dawn trailed off, grinning at Iris's embarrassed expression.

"Sometimes I completely understand guys' frustration with us girls," Iris sighed. "Especially around you two."

0-0

_The next morning..._

_"Dawn!"_ Barry yelled from outside the door. _"Dawn!"_

Dawn groaned and put her pillow over her head. Iris and May had already left to go walking through the city. Couldn't Barry just give her a _few_ more minutes?

_"Dawn!"_ Barry was sounding more and more impatient. "Come on, Dee Dee, just get up!"

Just hearing that nickname made Dawn get up angrily. She stormed over to the door and yanked it open.

"Barry! I told you not to call me that!"

"But Kenny calls you-"

"And in case you haven't noticed, Kenny gets blasted with Piplup's Bubblebeam everytime he does!" Dawn snapped.

"Would you prefer I called you _Dawny?"_ Barry asked.

"Oh, Arceus, Barry don't! You haven't called me that since the second grade!" Dawn whined.

"Well stop _acting_ like a second grader! Come on, we have to go buy supplies and stuff! We're leaving to go back to Sinnoh tomorrow and we gotta get ready!" Barry said.

_"Barry-_"

"You'd better be down at the Pokemon Center lobby in ten minutes, otherwise I'm gonna have to fine you!" Barry interrupted.

Dawn shook her head and sighed, "Absolutely insufferable."

She was just about to close the door again when Barry ran back and told her, "Oh, and you _might_ want to fix your hair. It looks like a Starly came in and made a nest."

He hurried away before Dawn could hit him. He couldn't help but grin when he heard the furious shout of Dawn yelling after him.

"Ba_rry_!"

0-0

**So no really big Pearlshipping moments here, sorry! This is really just a filler chapter in my opinion...but I'll try and get up the last chapter or so as soon as possible! You guys have been great for sticking with this story this whole time! Thanks so much to everyone! Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys, I'm back with Chapter 10! It's not **_**super**_** Pearlshippy, more filler stuff in preparation for the next chapter, but I hope you guys like it anyway! So, here it is!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, Pokémon still isn't mine**

0-0

"What are you going to do for Dawn?" Drew asked Ash as they walked through the streets of Castelia City. "She and Barry are leaving tomorrow. You _have_ to do something special."

"Yeah, for sure!" Iris agreed. "All girls love getting gifts."

"It worked for Drew," May said, winking. "All those roses paid off in the end."

"I just don't really know what Dawn would want," Ash replied, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Get her something cute. Dawn's a sucker for anything cute," Drew shrugged.

"What do you mean _cute?_" Ash asked. "Like a Pokémon? She's always saying Pikachu's cute." Ash pointed to Pikachu, who was perched on his head.

"Like a stuffed Cubchoo bear or something!" Iris said, rolling her eyes.

"That's so cliché," Drew scoffed. "It has to have more meaning than a…cheesy carnival prize."

"Something personal," May advised kindly. "If you give her a gift that's special to both of you, I know Dawn will love it."

Ash thought about it. His eyes brightened. "I've got an idea!"

He ran off, Pikachu nearly falling off his head in the process. The other three just stared in the direction he had taken off in.

"I wonder what his idea was," Iris said.

"Knowing Ash, it'll be really creative," May replied, smiling.

"For Dawn's sake, I hope it's not _too_ creative," Drew sighed.

0-0

"Do you think I should bring a new set of clothes to Kanto?" Dawn asked Barry.

Barry rolled his eyes. "No! What's the point? It's just a waste of money."

"Well, fine. But we _definitely_ have to bring back some gifts from Unova to give to our friends in Sinnoh," Dawn said. "We have to get stuff for my mom, and your mom and dad, Professor Rowan, Lucas, Gary, Kenny, Leona, Zoey, Nando—"

"Okay, okay! Slow down, Dawn. We don't need to give a gift to everyone in Sinnoh!"

"That's it, I promise!"

"Okay, then we'd better find something for everyone fast," Barry told her.

"Well, this apron is perfect for my mom," Dawn said brightly, holding up a light blue flowered apron. "Her old one has been getting pretty messy."

"Who can blame her? We ask her to make us cookies every time we hang out at your house."

"_We_ ask her? It's always you, Barry," Dawn laughed.

"Well, I wanna get my mom a new set of china after I broke her old one. And my dad…"

"Palmer needs some new battling gloves, right?" Dawn said. She tilted her head in confusion. "Wait. How did you break a whole set of your mom's china?"

Barry rubbed his head sheepishly. "Uhh, let's just say that throwing china plates in the air is a really good way to practice your Pokémon's aim."

Dawn shook her head. "Wow, Barry."

"Hey, when you want to help your Pokémon get stronger, your mom's china isn't at the top of the importance list!" Barry defended.

"Do you think we'll need coats in Kanto?" Dawn asked him. "Maybe it's cold?"

"Nah, we don't need coats," Barry replied offhandedly, shifting through the gloves to find a pair to give to his dad.

"If it turns out that it gets really cold one night, I'm _so_ allowed to steal your extra blanket _and_ your jacket."

Barry rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever you want, Dawn. As long as you don't sleep _with _me."

"Why would I do that?" Dawn asked. "I _do _understand your whole _"stay out of my personal space"_ issue. And besides, we used to sleep in the same bed when we were kids. It's not like you wouldn't be used to it."

"That's different," Barry insisted. "That was when we were little and best friends and didn't know any better."

Dawn grinned at her friend's reddening ears. "Oh, when we _were_ best friends? Are you saying we're not best friends now?"

Dawn giggled when she saw the way Barry's blush traveled from his ears to his cheeks as well. "Dawn! Stop messing with me! I'm going to fine you a million dollars!"

"Serves you right for saying my hair looked like a Starly nest this morning!" Dawn said, teasingly jabbing Barry's side with her elbow.

"Well, it was true!" Barry crossed his arms and smiled mischievously. "And if we really _are_ best friends, then why don't you tell me what's going on between you and Ash?"

This time it was Dawn's turn to blush. "Oh. That. Well, I really like him…"

"And he really likes you," Barry said. "It was pretty obvious since even _I_ could tell."

Dawn looked away, embarrassed, and continued to sift through the hats. She cleared her throat and picked up a matching navy blue beret and scarf set. "Don't you think this is perfect for Lucas?"

"It is," Barry admitted as Dawn placed the set in his hands. "_But_ you're avoiding my questions. So, _best friend_, are you and Ash officially together now?"

"I…I _think_ so. I'm not sure, actually, but I guess we are," Dawn answered, now moving on to the book section of the store.

"What do you mean _you're not sure?_ How can you not be sure about your _own_ relationship?"

"I just don't know! I mean, Ash might not be okay with making it official and I don't want to claim something he doesn't agree with," Dawn explained, putting a Unova edition Pokémon mythology book in Barry's hands as well.

"What's this for?" Barry asked.

"That's for Gary. And this one is for Professor Rowan," Dawn said, adding a book about the Pokémon of Unova to the stack of gifts Barry was holding.

Dawn proceeded to the toy section and grabbed a stuffed Purrloin and a stuffed Cottonee. "Those are for Zoey and Leona."

She also found a harp shaped like a Meloetta for Nando, a set of china for Barry's mom, and an Oshawott keychain for Kenny. By the time Dawn had finished gift shopping, Barry was struggling to balance all of the presents in his arms.

"Please tell me that this is all we're going to get," Barry said.

"Unless you want to get something for the gym leaders—"

"No!" Barry quickly answered, hurrying to the counter to drop all the gifts. Dawn paid for everything and she and Barry left the gift shop.

"Why don't you _ask_ Ash whether or not you're in a relationship?" Barry questioned.

Dawn's face turned bright pink again. "You're still worrying about that?"

"Yes! How else am I supposed to tell your mom all about it if I don't have all the facts straight?" Barry teased.

"Barry!" Dawn groaned. "I swear, if you tell my mom _anything_, I will personally—"

"Jeez, I was just kidding, Dawn. No need to worry," Barry said, grinning.

Dawn just smiled and shook her head. "You are so annoying."

"But you're my best friend anyway!" Barry laughed.

"Whatever. And if you really want me to, I'll ask Ash about it," Dawn told him, trying to act nonchalant.

"Oh, don't think for a second that you're fooling me with your _"if you really want me to" _line. You wanna know even _more_ than I do!"

"I'm not going to deny it," Dawn shrugged. She looked at her Poketch. "We should be heading back to the Pokémon Center. We still have to drop off all our bags and meet up with the others."

"Okay. I'll race you!" Barry said, sprinting in the direction of the Pokémon Center.

Dawn struggled to hold all the bags _and_ run after him. "Barry! Barry, wait up!"

0-0

"That's pretty detailed," the woman at the store counter told Ash. "It might cost you a lot of money. And you want it by tomorrow morning? That might cost a little extra too."

Ash nodded. "It doesn't matter how much it'll cost. I'll pay for it, I promise."

"Hmm, you must _really_ like this girl if you're going to such great lengths to get this present for her," the lady said, writing out the rest of Ash's specifications.

Ash scratched his head embarrassedly. "Yeah, I do. But she definitely deserves it, right Pikachu?"

The electric Pokémon nodded his head in agreement. "_Pika!"_

"Lucky girl to have such a nice guy like you," the lady told him, smiling. "Now, I'll ring up the Pokémon Center when it's ready, okay?"

"Thanks!" Ash called, hurrying out of the jewelry store.

"You think Dawn'll like her gift?" Ash asked Pikachu.

"_Chu! Pikachu!"_ Pikachu replied brightly.

"I hope you're right! But hey, anything's better than a 'cheesy carnival prize,' right?"

0-0

_**Sooo,**_**that was Chapter 10! Yeah, that was mostly a bunch of Dawn and Barry shopping...not too exciting, huh? :P Well, next chapter's most likely gonna be the last one, so I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has read this story, or faved it, or reviewed. Especially **_**big**_** thanks to anyone who has been bearing with me this whole time! And don't forget to review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Super sorry this took so long! I was experiencing a ton of writer's block and I couldn't figure out how I wanted to end this. But I've finally finished and here it is: the eleventh and **_**final**_** chapter of **_**Dawn of a New Day**_**!**

* * *

"Rise and shine, Dawn!" May said brightly.

Dawn opened her eyes and saw May standing above her with a big smile on her face. Dawn stretched and yawned. "Good morning May."

"Are you ready to go? Your boat leaves in thirty minutes," May reminded her.

"Yeah, I'm all packed up and everything!" Dawn replied as she started to fix her bed.

"Honestly, I'm going to miss you, Dawn. And you too, May! I'm going back to being the only girl again, with Cilan and Ash," Iris piped up. She was running a brush through her long hair, trying to tame it down.

Dawn laughed and went to her bag. She pulled out her hair straightener and handed it to Iris. "Here you go. Think of it as my way of thanking you for being so nice to me while we were here."

"But it's _yours_! I can't just take it!" Iris protested.

"It's a gift, Iris. Besides, you need it more than I do." Iris and Dawn both laughed.

"And maybe it'll help you work up the courage to ask Cilan how he feels about you," May teased, winking.

Iris crossed her arms indignantly, but the blush on her face ruined the effect. Dawn made her way to the bathroom and came out wearing her day clothes.

"Do I look okay?" she asked, running a hand through her ponytail.

"Dawn, you look fine," May assured her. May picked up her bags and handed Dawn's bag to Iris. "Come on, the guys are already downstairs."

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

"What is taking those girls so long?" Barry asked, glancing at his Poketch for the seventh time within five minutes.

"You know girls. They're probably doing their hair and crying about how much they'll miss each other," Drew shrugged.

"I heard that," Dawn piped up from behind them. "Besides, Drew, you probably worry more about _your_ hair than me, May, and Iris _combined._"

"Hey, when you have a gift like my hair, you've got to maintain it."

May yanked on his ear. "You might want to tame that ego of yours, sweetheart."

"Do me a favor and not call me that in public please?" Drew requested, his face turning a brilliant scarlet.

"What? Are you scared that your fangirls are going to go away now that you have a girlfriend?" May teased.

"No!"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked him innocently.

"I…" Drew sighed, defeated. "Never mind."

Dawn wasn't even paying attention to May and Drew's exchange, instead craning her neck every direction to try and spot the missing person—the one she wanted to see most.

"Where's Ash?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"He ran off this morning before I was even fully awake," Cilan shrugged.

"Well, the boat back to Sinnoh leaves in ten minutes and I want to see him before I leave."

"I'm sure he'll make it back before then. There's no way he'd miss it," Cilan assured her.

Dawn clutched Piplup nervously. "I hope you're right."

May smiled and put an encouraging hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Come on Dawn, we all know Ash is going to be here. Like you always say, no need to worry, right?"

Dawn nodded and sighed unconvincingly. "No need to worry."

* * *

"Is it done yet?" Ash asked the jewelry clerk. "My friend leaves really soon and I have to get the present for her as soon as possible."

The jewelry clerk gave him an apologetic smile. "Just a few more minutes, sir. We have to get it ready and do some last minute inspections."

Ash glanced at Pikachu, then at the clock hanging on the store wall. Just eight more minutes before Dawn's boat left for Sinnoh. If he missed her leaving…he'd never forgive himself. Quite honestly, if he didn't make her boat, he'd find a way to swim over to her just to say how much he'd miss her.

Ash watched as another thirty seconds that felt more like an hour passed by. He clenched his fists. He was going to make it…he _had_ to.

* * *

"Is all your stuff onboard already?" Cilan asked.

Barry nodded. "Yep. Mine and Dawn's. We're ready to go and the boat leaves in six minutes. If we want to make it on there, we should probably go now."

"We'll miss you guys!" May said, giving them each a hug. "Don't be afraid to call me up anytime, Dawn!"

Drew patted Barry on the back and gave Dawn a quick hug. "Watch out for Little Miss, here, okay Barry? And Dawn, make sure this hot-blooded idiot stays under control."

Dawn smiled. "I will. Good luck in the musicals, you guys."

"Hey! I'm _not _an idiot!" Barry protested.

"You keep believing that," Iris piped up, slinging an arm around Barry. "It's gonna be a lot less interesting without you guys here. Have fun in Kanto!"

Cilan shook hands with both of them. "It was truly a pleasure getting to know you both. Come back anytime!"

"Thanks for having us!" Barry said. He glanced at his Poketch, then looked at Dawn. "We should get on the boat now."

"But what about Ash?" Dawn asked.

Barry looked apologetic. "Sorry Dawn, but we really don't have time."

The boat's horn blared, signaling that it was about to leave. Dawn sighed and glanced back one more time before following Barry. They were almost on the ship when they suddenly heard a very familiar voice.

"Wait! Dawn!"

Dawn whirled around and beamed as soon as she saw Ash running towards her. She looked imploringly at Barry and Barry just sighed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her along as they ran to Ash.

"You're too slow to get there on your own," Barry told her, rolling his eyes as they hurried off the boat.

When they finally reached Ash, Barry released Dawn's wrist and stepped back so she and Ash could talk.

"I thought you'd forgotten or something," Dawn said. "I was getting really worried."

"I'd never forget," Ash assured her. "Actually, the only reason I was late was because I was getting this for you."

Ash handed her a jewelry box. Dawn looked at him quizzically, but he nodded.

"Go ahead and open it."

Dawn flipped open the top of the box and inside was a necklace shaped like half of a heart. A small pink pearl was next to the half-heart charm. Etched on the gold surface of the half-heart was her name and a painstakingly detailed sketch of her hand, raised in a high five. She felt the side of the pendant and noticed a small clasp. She opened up the clasp and saw that a picture of Ash was inside it.

"Oh, it's beautiful…" Dawn murmured. She looked up at Ash. "Where's the other half?"

Ash held up his hand and Dawn noticed the other half of the heart locket was attached to the bottom of his glove. Ash's half said his name on it and had a sketch of his own gloved hand. He opened it up and _her _picture was smiling up at them.

Ash took his half and attached it to hers. When connected, the etchings of their hands looked as if they were high-fiving. He opened up the lockets and Dawn noticed that the pictures were actually two halves of the same picture. When put together, it was a picture they had taken in Sinnoh of Ash with his arm around Dawn.

"So, do you like it?" Ash asked her as he fastened the necklace around her neck.

"I _love _it," she replied, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you."

"I'll miss you," Ash said, looking embarrassed.

"I'll miss you too." Dawn kissed his cheek and started to walk away.

"Wait," Ash called, grabbing her wrist to whirl her around. He leaned in and quickly kissed her on the lips. "_Now_ you're allowed to leave."

Dawn smiled. "A little different from our usual high fives?"

"But way better."

Barry finally had to step in and remind Dawn that the boat was going to leave in thirty seconds.

"Bye guys!" Dawn said, waving as Barry dragged her back onto the boat.

They all waved back as the boat started moving out into open water.

"Hey Ash," Iris said. "That was really sweet. For a kid like you, of course."

"It truly was!" Cilan hiccupped.

"Cilan, are you…_crying_?" Iris asked him.

"Only a little!" Cilan replied.

"I'll miss her," Iris sighed.

"Me too," Ash agreed. "But I _know_ we'll see her again. I'm sure of it."

* * *

**THE END! Thanks to everyone who read this story, and reviewed, and favorited! It means so much to me! You guys are amazing for sticking with me through my random breaks and hiatuses. Thanks for not giving up on it and I hope you guys liked the story! :)**


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